“A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life.” Lewis Mumford wrote those insightful lines.
We’ve created many lovely spaces inside and out that are conducive to the life of the interior~ the contemplative inner life~ at Adytum. Beauty uplifts and elevates acting as a gateway into our soul and spirit. It’s our intention to continue adding benches throughout our walking meditation trails to encourage the life of the mind and spirit; the artistic, creative and meditative life…to add to our collection of books on great wisdom, art, poetry and literature – to create nooks to draw, to write, to read, and to think. Life at Adytum is meant to be lived slowly, savored, and lingered over like a fine meal. We need the equilibrium achieved when we journey within.
“Contemplation and wisdom are highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them.” Gabriel Marcel
After a momentous trip to Hawaii, where we were introduced to great sculpture by Diane Klieforth of Lahaina Galleries, we’ve had the pleasure of living with museum quality artwork and sculpture at Adytum which feeds the spirit and elevates the mind. She had met the greatest sculptor of our time, Frederick Hart before his early death, comparing him to Michelangelo and Leonardo DaVinci and urged us to live with his inspired sculpture.
Frederick Hart believed that truly great art should reflect goodness, truth and beauty. His bronze sculpture possesses these qualities and emanates a palpable spiritual presence both here and at the Washington National Cathedral where it adorns the tympanum and entrance in the form of the Ex Nihilo series (out of nothingness, out of the mind of God). Europeans have lived with great art for centuries, with masterpieces and frescos on the walls of their churches from past ages. We seek to surround ourselves with that which inspires and leads us to higher levels on our evolutionary journey into better “selves”.
Another great sculptor, Auguste Rodin said, “Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which nature herself is animated.”
Great art grounds us into Reality; it drives us inward to the vastness within us. Great art, which embodies truth, beauty and goodness, will connect us to God and to our selves, so we are committed to filling Adytum with it and sharing the experience of it with our family, guests and friends…Adytum has already been host to one of the foremost impressionist painters of our time, Don Hatfield. We plan to be patrons of the arts not only in support of the artists through our purchases, but also in creating space for them to work here.
There is more to life than seeking fun or the next activity, the next vacation or trip…The balance is found in contemplation.
“A string of excited, fugitive, miscellaneous pleasures is not happiness; happiness resides in imaginative reflection and judgment, when the picture of one’s life, or of human life, as it truly has been or is, satisfies the will, and is gladly accepted.” George Santayana
There are many activities to choose at Adytum. I’m grateful for the rains that drive us inside and invite us to explore the hidden, inner spaces~ as Rumi said, “World power means nothing. Only the unsayable jeweled inner life matters.” I couldn’t agree more.